Description
Ambronite is the name given to yellow jasper. It is a lovely soft yellow stone, rather
like butter in appearance, with a fine grain much prized by jewellers and sculptors.
The Science
Ambronite is a type of chalcedony, which in turn is microcrystalline quartz.
6.5 to 7.0 on the Moh's Hardness Scale
Care and Cleaning
Soft polishing cloth, plain water rinse or mild solution of soap and water. Ambronite may also
be cleaned using ultrasonics or steam.
History
Jasper in all its forms has been used for thousands of years for in religion, medicine
and decoration. The ancient Assyrians buried jasper amulets with their dead, as did many
ancient cultures. The ancient Egyptians carved hearts from jasper, and tablets engraved
with extracts from the Book of The Dead. In the new York Metropolitan Museum is a fragment
of a statue made from Ambronite. It shows the lips of a royal woman of the Armarna period,
possibly Akhenaton's mother, Queen Tiye, or his wife, Queen Nefertiti, and is a widely
renowned piece from the period.
In Hebrew history, Ambronite was the tenth stone in the Breastplate of Aaron, and it is mentioned in the Book of Daniel in a description of a man seen unexpectedly. To the Hebrews, it was a valuable stone.
The Iron Age Japanese buried jasper with their dead, and it has been used in Scotland (still a prime source of the stone) since the time of the Celts and the Romans. It is still extensively used in Celtic jewellery.
American Indians believed that use of jasper by the shamans helped to bring rain, and in some tribes was known as the 'rain-bringer stone'.
Today, it is considered to be the Patron Stone of counsellors and therapists.